By Christopher Geissler, Ph.D.

Hearing Health Foundation (HHF) is proud to announce the recipients of research funding awards for the upcoming year (October 1, 2020 — September 30, 2021) via the Emerging Research Grants (ERG) program and the Hearing Restoration Project (HRP). 

Scientific researchers have, like all of us, faced numerous challenges over the past months of the COVID-19 crisis, but have continued the science throughout, whether in reduced occupancy labs or remote, driven by their dedication to advance knowledge and contribute to the treatment and, ultimately, cure for hearing loss and other hearing and balance disorders. HHF’s donors have shown similar dedication, and HHF is happy to provide research funding to the exceptionally promising projects below.

Emerging Research Grants

Following a rigorous review process, our Scientific Review Committee and Council of Scientific Trustees, comprised of senior expert scientists and physicians from across the U.S., have chosen seven especially meritorious projects to fund, covering a broad range of hearing and balance science. 

Starting with the 2020-2021 ERG cycle, HHF will increase the available annual amount per project from $30,000 to $50,000. The additional funds will have a profound impact on the scope and ambition of the projects being undertaken and correspondingly, we hope, the outcomes. This increase in funding and the decision to make grants renewable for a second year attracted an exceptionally high-quality pool of applicants, with application numbers increasing 67 percent over 2019.

We are pleased to be able to support the work of these promising researchers and look forward to learning about the advances they will undoubtedly make in the coming year and beyond. 

This year’s ERG recipients are:

James Dewey, Ph.D.    
University of Southern California    
Project: Filtering of otoacoustic emissions: A window onto cochlear frequency tuning

Mishaela DiNino, Ph.D.    
Carnegie Mellon University
Project: Neural mechanisms of speech sound encoding in older adults
Generously funded by: The Meringoff Family Foundation

Z. Ellen Peng, Ph.D.
University of Wisconsin-Madison   
Project: Investigating cortical processing during comprehension of reverberant speech in adolescents and young adults with cochlear implants
Generously funded by: General Grand Chapter Royal Arch Masons

Pei-Ciao Tang, Ph.D.    
Indiana University    
Project: Elucidating the development of the otic lineage using stem cell-derived organoid systems

Bryan Ward, M.D.    
Johns Hopkins University    
Project: The effect of fluid volume on vestibular function and adaptation in patients with Meniere’s disease

Ross Williamson, Ph.D.    
University of Pittsburgh    
Project: Characterizing tinnitus-induced changes in auditory corticofugal networks

Calvin Wu, Ph.D.    
University of Michigan    
Project: Development and transmission of the tinnitus neural code
Generously funded by: The Les Paul Foundation

Hearing Restoration Project

On the heels of the in-person meetings in Seattle (November 2019) and at the Association for Research in Otolaryngology annual conference (January 2020), HRP consortium members submitted proposals to the group for several rounds of critique and revision before finalized versions were reviewed by members of the Scientific Advisory Board, comprised of senior experts in the field. They, along with the scientific director of HRP, chose the following six projects, continuations of current multi-year projects, as the best means of advancing the consortium’s strategic plan and bringing the group closer to its ultimate goal of restoring hearing in humans through the regeneration of inner ear hair cells. 

This year’s HRP recipients are:

Seth Ament, Ph.D.    
University of Maryland    
Project: Integrative systems biology of hearing restoration

John Brigande, Ph.D.    
Oregon Health & Science University    
Project: Mouse model systems to interrogate candidate genes for sensory hair cell regeneration

Andy Groves, Ph.D.    
Baylor College of Medicine    
Project: Comparison of three reprogramming cocktails in the organ of Corti: Cells, transcriptomes and epigenomes

Stefan Heller, Ph.D.    
Stanford University    
Project; Detection of transcriptome changes in single cells after aminoglycoside-induced hair cell loss in the chicken basilar papilla

Ronna Hertzano, M.D., Ph.D.    
University of Maryland    
Project: Implementing the gEAR for data sharing within the HRP

Neil Segil, Ph.D.
University of Southern California
and 
Andy Groves, Ph.D.    
Baylor College of Medicine    
Project: Epigenetics analysis of maturation and regenerative responses in the mouse organ of Corti and utricle